Sadik Ahmad Turkistani
Sadik Ahmad Turkistani is an ethnic Uyghur born and raised in Saudi Arabia and an opponent of the Taliban. A prisoner of the Taliban, he was briefly freed when the they were overthrown, but was then promptly captured by the Americans and shipped to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.Detainee Cleared for Release Is in Limbo at Guantanamo, Washington Post, December 14, 2005 He war repatriated to Saudi Arabia on June 24, 2006. Alleged plot to kill bin Laden Turkistani was imprisoned by the Taliban for four and a half years, because he was alleged to have been involved in a plot to kill al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Turkistani admits being opposed to the Taliban, Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, but he denies that he was involved in any plots. Read into the Senate records During a debate on Senator Lindsey Graham's motion to prevent detainees having access to the US courts Senator Jeff Bingeman had several Washington Post articles on the plight of the Uyghur detainees read into the Senate Record. Guantanamo Prisoners, US Senate, December 21, 2005 One of the articles focused on Turkistani's plight. Combatant Status Review Determined not to have been an Enemy Combatant The Washington Post reports that Turkistani was one of 38 detainees who was determined not to have been an enemy combatant during his Combatant Status Review Tribunal. Guantanamo Bay Detainees Classifed as "No Longer Enemy Combatants", Washington Post They report that Turkistani is one of several still not released. On May 10, 2006 Radio Free Asia quoted from an interview with Abu Bakker Qassim, one of the five Uighurs who had been transported to Albania on May 5, 2006. Guantanamo Uyghurs Try to Settle in Albania, Radio Free Asia, May 10, 2006 Qassim said he left four innocent detainees behind at Camp Iguana: a Russian, an Algerian, a Libyan, and a man who had been born in Saudi Arabia to Uighur exiles. Turkistani's Garden Turkistani is reported to have told his lawyer, Sabin Willett, that he and fellow prisoners had planted a garden with seeds saved from their rations. Guantanamo Bay prisoners plant seeds of hope in secret garden, Uyghur Human Rights Project, April 29, 2006 Guantanamo prisoners planting seeds of hope, Al Jazeera, May 1, 2006 Turkistani and the other men in Camp Iguana had to cultivate their clandestine garden with plastic spoons. Transfer to Saudi Arabia On June 25, 2006 14 men were transferred from Guantanamo to Saudi Arabia. While some press reports described these men as 14 Saudis, others described them as 13 Saudis, and a Turkistani who had been resident in Saudi Arabia. Thirteen Saudis and a Turkistani return to Saudi from Guantanamo, Middle East News, June 25, 2006 Turkistani and other former Taliban prisoners Turkistani was one of nine former Taliban prisoners the Associated Press pointed out had gone from Taliban custody to American custody. References Category:Chinese extrajudicial prisoners of the United States Category:People subject to extraordinary rendition by the United States Category:Guantanamo detainees known to have been released Category:Prisoners of the Taliban Category:Living people Category:Exonerated terrorism suspects eo:Sadik Aĥmad Turkistani